Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys: Full Dallas Game Preview
The 2015 season began with Super Bowl-level expectations, but as the disastrous injuries piled up, from Orlando Scandrick to Dez Bryant and finally Tony Romo, those expectations collapsed around them. Being forced to survive five games without Bryant and seven without Romo was a stroke of poor luck that few teams would be capable of withstanding.
The Cowboys are 0-6 in the six games they’ve played without Romo, and will seek their first win since September as they travel to Tampa Bay to take on rookie quarterback Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.
News and Notes
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Counting Down to Romo’s Return
The most important position in all of sports is the quarterback position in the NFL. Having a top-flight starting quarterback gives you an inherent advantage over at least two-thirds of the NFL. The easiest pregame indicator to follow in predicting winning teams is the quarterback matchup.
In their six-game losing streak, the Cowboys have faced the likes of Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Russell Wilson and Sam Bradford at the quarterback position, all while playing with Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel. There is probably one name among the opposing quarterbacks over the last six games that could be argued didn’t present a significant mismatch compared to Weeden and Cassel, and that’s Bradford.
One more week, and the equation changes. In 2014, Tony Romo played at a level that earned him MVP votes, and he had continued his excellent play through two weeks of 2015. Upon his return, it’s likely that the Cowboys will have an advantage at quarterback in each of their remaining games, excluding the matchup with Green Bay and the top quarterback in football, Aaron Rodgers.
They face a tough road to the playoffs after losing six games in a row, but with Romo back at the helm, the Cowboys are capable of beating any team in the NFL.
Latest Injury News
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| Player | Position | Injury | Wed. Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dez Bryant | WR | Foot/Knee | Did Not Participate |
| Brice Butler | WR | Hamstring | Did Not Participate |
| Brandon Carr | CB | Shoulder | Limited Participant |
| Matt Cassel | QB | Knee | Full Participant |
| Barry Church | S | Ankle | Did Not Participate |
| Jack Crawford | DE | Hand | Full Participant |
| James Hanna | TE | Ankle | Full Participant |
| Nick Hayden | DT | Ankle | Did Not Participate |
| Jeff Heath | SS | Shoulder | Limited Participant |
| Anthony Hitchens | S | Ankle | Did Not Participate |
| DeMarcus Lawrence | DE | Back | Full Participant |
| Sean Lee | LB | Concussion | Did Not Participate |
| Rolando McClain | LB | Hand | Limited Participant |
| Christine Michael | RB | Illness | Did Not Participate |
| Rod Smith | RB | Illness | Did Not Participate |
(All injury information courtesy of DallasCowboys.com)
This week, the big news on the injury front is twofold. First is the sheer number of players appearing on the Week 10 injury report; with 15 injured players, almost 30 percent of the roster is ailing, including all three starting linebackers. Secondly, Dez Bryant missed Wednesday’s practice after tweaking his knee as he landed in the end zone on his acrobatic touchdown catch against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was able to finish the game, which lends optimism as to his status for Sunday in Tampa Bay.
X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Matchup to Watch: Morris Claiborne vs. Mike Evans
The Buccaneers have been without No. 2 wide receiver Vincent Jackson due to a knee injury and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins with a shoulder injury, leaving Mike Evans as the one true dangerous receiving option for Jameis Winston to throw to.
Evans was targeted a staggering 19 times in Week 9 against the New York Giants, nine times in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons and 12 times in Week 7 against the Washington Redskins. He is a true weapon both down the field and in the underneath areas of the field in the passing game.
If Dallas is going to have a chance to win on Sunday, it is going to need Claiborne to get the upper hand in that matchup.
X-Factor of the Week: DeMarcus Lawrence
Greg Hardy has been the exact type of “Alpha Dog” rusher that the team has missed the last few years. However, the defensive line won’t take the next step into the dangerous unit they have the potential to be until a second guy steps up and makes the offense pay for devoting attention and resources to slowing down Hardy.
The most likely candidate to fill that role, and a guy who has done so occasionally in 2015, is second-year defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Lawrence has been a good player this year, but the Cowboys need him to start getting to the quarterback and finishing plays for sacks if their defense is going to take the next step.
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Prediction
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The Cowboys may struggle against the run with all three starting linebackers beat up, but ultimately I believe that Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Jason Witten and the crew will be too much for the Buccaneers to slow down. Building a lead on offense will force Tampa to move away from the run, allowing the Dallas defensive line to finally meet expectations.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 17
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